Pav-packed affair

Hits misses halfbaked or overdone versions and oddball creations mdash itrsquos all been done in these past 14 months of the lockdown Amidst these culinary adventures readytoeat products often came to the rescue especially when domestic helps were offbounds or worse you were staring at terrifying deadlines So when entrepreneur Rohan Mangalorkar founder of the successful PackaPav franchise launched a range of heatandeat dishes to coincide with the opening of his Powai outlet we wanted to give it a tossupProducts are packed in plastic boxesBefore we proceed a note about the packaging Each option comes in sturdy plastic boxes with details about its contents cooking and storage An ecofriendly spacesaving option wouldrsquove made for a stronger first impression Moreover once opened these boxes need to be stored in the freezer and so they occupy ample shelf spaceAll dishes can be panfried on a tawa or cooked in a microwave The mutton shami Rs 400 five pieces and herb chicken seekh Rs 360 five pieces started off our latenight trial The shami kebab and the seekh were generously portioned this is true for the contents in all the boxes The mince in the shami was tender and can be a flavour bomb even if eaten solo We remembered the baap version that we had tripped on during our wanderings in Lucknowrsquos Qaisar Bagh many moons ago The seekh was comparatively underwhelming we could barely taste any herbed influence and it was a tad chewyThe Irani chicken Rs 300 five pieces was tried the following day it was a palatepleaser for its meltinmouth consistency Texturewise these lightly spiced cutlets faintly reminded us of the kakori also savoured from that sinful Lucknow trail barring the delicate lacy egg coating We were briefly teleported to one of the many occasions when we had tucked into the real deal at Fortrsquos Ideal Corner Brownie points for attempting to ace this Irani classic The shami and Irani kebabs fit snugly into hot butterslathered pavs Throw in a few slices of onion or garlic chutney powder and yoursquore set for a light snacky dinner Now we werenrsquot prepared for the calorie monster that was paneer and cheese Rs 300 five pieces kebab The jugalbandi of paneer and cheese is too much to handle in one portion and didnrsquot sit lightly in our tummyMutton shammi kebabsOn another night after wrapping up work we sampled the two semidry preparations The butter chicken Rs 375 250 gms Rs750 500 gms masaledaar filling can be stuffed into a pav or eaten with a roti or paratha We did another memory hop to Delhirsquos iconic Gulati on Pandara Road where we relished the best butter chicken ever This heatandeat offing was closer to a bhunastyle chicken dish that tasted yum and was polished off in minutes The tandoor sriracha mushroom Rs 375 250 gms Rs 750 500 gms was another mixed bag The homestyle sriracha sauce added a spicy hit to the juicy button mushrooms but the smoked char of the tandoor was amiss If you arenrsquot fussy that the name on the box doesnrsquot entirely represent whatrsquos inside these two make for chatpata afterhour bitesWith plenty of strong players in Mumbairsquos packaged food market including seasoned hands that boast of a wider range and smarter price points PackaPav must ensure its flavour balance and portions remain topdrawer over time for it to create a significant impactAt Shop no 124 Galleria first floor Hiranandani Gardens PowaiCall 7777012499 9920230240 also at Fort Bandra and Versova outlets delivery across Mumbai Thane and Navi Mumbai